Past the Pain How to Emerge from Trauma with Purpose

Forty minutes on February 21, 2019, changed Anjanette Young’s life forever. Her story made national news for months after it broke: A forty-eight-year-old social worker was winding down at home after a long day of work when police broke into her apartment with a faulty warrant and incorrect information. With guns drawn and flashlights shining, twelve cops converged in her home, demanding that Anjanette put her hands up, despite the fact that she was in the middle of changing her clothes. Naked and terrified, she watched as men in tactical gear ransacked her home.

The trauma from that night was devastating, but somehow Anjanette emerged a different person with a new purpose—to serve as voice for the voiceless, particularly those facing injustices by the very people meant to protect them.

In Past the Pain, Anjanette tells her story—of what happened that night, what came next, and most important, how others who experience trauma can draw on these lessons to move forward in their own stories. She shares advice from her beloved and respected therapist, Alicia Troff-Meade, designed to bridge the gap between simply reading about healing and actively engaging in it. And Anjanette details how, through the support of her church and her community, and by reconnecting with her legacy as the granddaughter of a civil rights activist who marched with Dr. King, she realized that God was truly with her, and she began to forge a future that is not dictated by trauma but empowered by resilience.

As a social worker and advocate, Anjanette shares practical insights for others to push past their trauma to find purpose and avoid burnout, engage in self-care, and protect emotional and physical energy when working in social justice and advocacy support.
 

Anjanette Young is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and graduate of Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is president and CEO of Café Social Work Consulting LLC, offering her years of experience to new social workers through mentorship and coaching in the profession. Anjanette has been speaking across the country on shows such as CBS2 Chicago with Dave Savani, The Reid Out, BET with Soledad O’Brien, and CBS Mornings with Gayle King. Anjanette has received many awards for her courage, including: the Rosa Park Award given by Chicago Leaders Network; an Emmy for “Handcuff and Naked: The Anjanette Young Story”; the Outstanding Community Advocate Award by the National Coalition of Black Women; and the Ida B. Wells Legacy Award. Anjanette’s media coverage reaches national syndicates such as the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, New York Times, Black Enterprise, and Newsweekly. In 2021 Anjanette founded the I AM HER Foundation in honor of Breonna Taylor, with a focus on providing therapy and resources to Black girls and women. I AM HER is here to support SPEAKING TRUTH! WHILE LIVING ON PURPOSE. I AM HER wants every Black woman and girl to know there is someone to stand with her against any and all issues that do not support equality and respect of all women. Whether she’s mentoring future social workers, organizing grassroots movements, or consulting on justice-informed practices, Anjanette remains deeply committed to building a world where every person is seen, heard, and protected.